Two and a half years ago my life was in ruins. I was a homeless heroin addict living out of my car in South Florida with no direction and no hope for my future. I spent many a sleepless night thinking about all my dreams that were left unfinished, and all the things I still wanted to say to the people who I loved and cared about. I never knew if I was going to make it out of that situation, but I made a promise to myself that if I did, I would say all the things that I always wanted to.

Sobriety has given me the opportunity to grow as a person and finally make right on the promises I made to myself on those sleepless nights. My duty is to speak from my personal experience in order to help those people who are still suffering any type of personal hardship. My mission is to spread a message of hope to those people who may feel hopeless and alone. My dream is to use all the my writing to help someone find their voice and say all the things they’ve always wanted to.

If you need help, please do not suffer in silence. Stay humble, count your blessings, and always carry love and compassion in your heart.

Nicholas Bellofatto – UMASS 2011 – Journalism & Communications – Sober since 11/20/15